Cutting across party lines, leaders at DMK's social justice conference in April spoke of the need for a nationwide caste census.
Caste survey of Bihar. (iStock)
In a move that is sure to shape the approach of political fronts to their campaigns ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has announced data from its caste census.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government had vehemently opposed caste-wise census carried out by JD(U)-RJD government in Bihar, even approaching the courts to stall it.
According to the findings of the caste survey released on Monday, 2 October, by the Bihar government, the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute a whopping 63 percent of the state’s total population.
The numbers have the potential to change political calculations in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections and also set off a domino effect with more Opposition-ruled states looking to emulate it. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of Opposition parties have been pushing for better representation for OBCs as part of their social justice plank ahead of the polls.
According to the data released in Patna by Development Commissioner Vivek Singh, the state’s total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore, out of which, the EBC (36 percent) were the largest social segment followed by the OBC at 27.13 percent.
The survey also stated that Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, were the largest in population, accounting for 14.27 percent of the total.
Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi-led Union government clarified that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as part of the census.
In April, the Congress leaders too urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the 2011 census’ caste-based OBC categorisation data in the public domain and to provide reservation based on population, Rahul Gandhi also sought that the 50 percent cap on reservation be removed.
On 3 April, The All India Federation for Social Justice (AIFSJ) organised its first national conference in New Delhi.
Leaders from 13 states and leaders from various social justice outfits and backward-class associations participated in the conference.
Cutting across party lines, representatives at the conference spoke about the need for a nationwide caste census.
The JD(U)-RJD government in Bihar were already at loggerheads with the BJP over caste census in the state then. Parties at the AIFSJ insisted that a nationwide caste census would be a scientific and logical way to assess the representation of marginalised communities — SCs, STs, minorities, and OBCs.
While the debate also revolved around the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota, meant for forward castes, being against the principles of social justice, the demand for a nationwide caste census is a neat way of putting Modi’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” claim to the test.
Data from the caste census can show if the slogan is a reality or mere lip service.
A discrepancy on the ground will be the first step for Opposition parties to woo back sections of the marginalised communities that the BJP has been working to consolidate in its favour as part of its social engineering strategies one election after another.
Consolidation through caste identity perhaps is the only effective political counter to BJP’s consolidation on religious identity.
(With PTI inputs)
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